BCCI working committee meeting on Saturday

The Working Committee of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will meet here on Saturday afternoon.

An important decision relating to the Pune Warriors franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is expected to be taken.

Sahara Parivar, owner of Pune Warriors, announced the pulling out of its team from the IPL in May this year after the BCCI decided to encash the bank guarantee owing to the non-payment of franchise fee.

Pune Warriors, on the other hand, had wanted arbitration proceedings with the BCCI over the revision of annual fee — the number of matches for the franchise was reduced from 18, when it entered the IPL in 2011, to 16 in the last edition — to conclude before taking a call.

Sahara’s decision

Although, Sahara Parivar informed the media about its decision to move out of the IPL, the Board has not received any communication so far; the franchise requires to furnish a bank guarantee of Rs. 170.2 crore needed to feature in next season’s IPL.

According to sources, the BCCI, consequently, could serve a termination order on Pune Warriors with a time limit of a month to 45 days.

Will the Board include a ninth team — there could be an auction for one — or reduce the IPL to an eight-team affair? Pune Warriors is the most expensive team in the IPL — it was bought for $370 million.

Dates for SA tour

The BCCI is also expected to finalise the dates and venues for India’s coming tour of South Africa. India is scheduled to play two Tests and three ODIs in South Africa in December-January.

The meeting, to be chaired by BCCI President N. Srinivasan, will ratify the various committees formed in the Board AGM here last month.

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